My first Wakizashi!

[benkyoka]

Hello everyone. Recently my nihonto benefactor (my wife's uncle) sent me a wakizashi. It came with koshirae, from which I posted pictures in the tosogu forum, for those that are insterested.

 

This is my first wakizashi and I find it quite interesting. Being new to kantei and nihonto I was hoping for some easily identifiable characteristics but this wakizashi I find strange. (Not enough experience I suppose).

 

In a letter from the giver of this blade he wrote that the mei is Tangonokami Kanemichi. John Yumoto's book lists a Kanemichi from Yamashiro around 1661. Could this be the same smith?

 

He also gave me a tip, writing that the hamon is sudareba. The hamon is nearly identical on both sides of the blade and the boshi as well. Both sides of the boshi feature a circle in the center.

 

Blade is 60cm, nakago is 14.8cm. 2 mekugi ana, with one filled in. Sori is 1.5cm and looks koshi. Blade width at machi is 2.9cm and at yokote is 2.0cm. Nakagojiri is kiri, and the yasurime look kattesagari but are rather steep (sujikai?). I can never get boshi correct, but it looks jizo.

 

Enough with my guesses, onto the pictures!

[benkyoka]

I cannot take good pictures, but I tried my best! Also tried to scan it as well.

[benkyoka]

My best attempts at capturing the activity in the boshi. I don't think I took a good picture of the monouchi though.

 

The pictures don't show it well, but the turn-back on the boshi runs past the yokote line. Also, I hope you are able to see the small circle within the boshi.

[benkyoka]

Some other pics and the scan I tried.

 

This looks to be an interesting learning experience. Now I have to hit the books. Any thoughts?

[Brian]

What a fantastic gift!

You are very lucky to have family like that.

Of course when the sword is free, then you really have a decent incentive to send it for a full polish and papers. One of the few times there is no doubt about the cost of polish vs value afterwards. And being in Japan, I think your situation is ideal to have this done.

I am on my way out, so only glanced briefly at the pics. Looks like a lovely sword, and those fittings are very nice too. I think you can be proud of this one.

Sudareba is good for this school, and there is a huge amount of info on the net and in books about the Mishina school..

Try this one as a start, and then google the school and the smith: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mishina.html

 

Will be back later to see what others have to say about it. Congrats!

 

Brian

[benkyoka]

Thanks for the link, Brian! I opened up the Connosseur's and checked out the Mishina school.

 

JIzo boshi: check

sudareba hamon: check

masame in the shinogi ji: check

 

I am always impressed by the knowledgeable people on this forum.

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Tango no kami kanemichi was the fourth son of the founder of the Mishina school he lived in settsu (Osaka) since Kanei to Kanbun, his first name was Naomichi. There were five generations of Tango Kanemichi.

 

You are a lucky man this blade looks good and the boshi is a typical mishina's one (with hakikake). Just a bemol, it is slighty suriage.

[benkyoka]

  Brian said:

Of course when the sword is free, then you really have a decent incentive to send it for a full polish and papers. One of the few times there is no doubt about the cost of polish vs value afterwards. And being in Japan, I think your situation is ideal to have this done.

 

Brian,

This sword came with some papers, although I am not knowledgeable enough to know what these particular papers were for. I already posted one picture of one of the papers and I will post a couple of other pics of the other paper here. Anyone have some free time and wish to translate or impart the meaning to me?

[Nobody]

  benkyoka said:

This sword came with some papers, although I am not knowledgeable enough to know what these particular papers were for. I already posted one picture of one of the papers and I will post a couple of other pics of the other paper here. Anyone have some free time and wish to translate or impart the meaning to me?

That is a paper which was issued by Token Shibata (刀剣柴田) in Ginza and was sigened by late Shibata Mitsuo (柴田光男).

http://www.tokensibata.co.jp/

 

喘喜堂 (Zenkidô) – an art name of Shibata Mitsuo

鑑定証 (Kanteishô) – Appraisal paper

 

脇差　銘　丹後守兼道 – Wakizashi, mei: Tango no kami Kanemichi

大坂住　時代元禄 – Ôsaka ju, jidai Genroku

刃長　壹尺四寸九分弱 – Blade length: a little less than 1 shaku 4 sun 9 bu

 

右正真の鑑定仕り候 (Migi shôshin no kantei tsukamatsuri sôrô) – The item on the right was appraised to be genuine.

簾刃　美くしく見事 (Sudare-ba utsukushiku migoto) – Its Sudare-ba looks beautiful and excellent.

 

平成七年九月二十九日 – September 29th, 1995

東京都中央区銀座五ノ六ノ八 – Ginza 5-6-8, Chûô-ku, Tôkyô-to

柴田光男 - Shibata Mitsuo

[benkyoka]

Thank you Moriyama-sensei!

 

I thought I recognized Mr. Shibata's name (in fact, I have that handbook of his) but was unsure why his name would have been on those papers. I will most definitely look into taking this to shinsa, but I have to get around to taking my Kanenaga first.